The Rebirth of Huey Freeman
by Diggity
Summary: Sometimes, a person needs to fail before he can begin to succeed. Maybe this failure will force Huey to confront his demons.


_What's good everybody? Here is my fist fanfic, ever. In this, I am taking my creative liberties to advance the timeline in Woodcrest, Illinois. This is Huey's coming of age story. However, I am also using my creative liberties to... well, you'll see. But yeah, Jazmine plays a substantial role in all this, but this is NOT gonna be corny. By the way... I don't own the characters or the original story... Aaron McGruder does._

Huey Freeman failed.

He failed to succeed in doing the one thing that he wanted to do ever since he could remember. No revolutions, no political changes, no enlightenment, no progress. He didn't even get his own high school to change.

Huey Freeman lost the war. As he layed sprawled out on his bed in his room, he stared at the still ceiling fan wondering where exactly he had gone wrong. His mind kept going back to the event that derailed the train of his life from the tracks of his supposed destiny. He ran through each and every detail of his plan and how one moment where he lost control of his temper. The worst part about the day was that he still had to go back to Donald Henry Rumsfield High to finish out his senior year in the agony of his failure without any real friends. The only friend he had probably turned her back on him as well, since she actually has to live with Woodcrest Public School District School Board Superintendent DuBois, who was instrumental in his downfall.

The light coming in from the opened blinds only added to his annoyance, but he was to dissappointed with himself and the world around him to care. He normally would have played some kind of music from his _Old School/Nu Skool_ mix C.D. that Riley and Jazmine gave him for his fifteenth birthday back in July of 2005. Whether he were listening to Marvin Gaye's _Inner City Blues, _

Prince's _Sign 'o' The TImes, _Tupac's _Keep Ya Head Up_, or the song that he related to most, Lupe Fiasco's _Kick Push, II_, one of those would normally get his spirits back to his normal, militant, "Fuck the World", self.

This time was different. Huey knew that he let his pride override his common sense, which normally was his source of sanity. He wanted to get up and go to the oak tree on the hill, but his angst had turned to laziness and he didn't want to move.

Two weeks ago, Rumsfield High School issued out their third quarter report card. Neither one of the Freeman Brothers had a complaint about their grades, Riley suprised the family with a 3.8 grade point average that he had maintained since the beginning of the school year. His freshman year taught him a valuable lesson when he was deemed inelligible to play basketball due to his lackluster grades. Of course, Huey gave an exemplary performance, with a 5.41 gpa in his International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. His problem was with the next document that came in the mail. In a large, flat, tan envelope with "URGENT" in red capital letters addressed to "The parents or guardian of Huey P. Freeman". Granddad openend it and called his eldest grandson back into the living room.

"Huey! Come here boy!"

"Yes", Huey replied blankly.

"According to this, you aren't going to graduate"

Needless to say, that caught Huey's attention as he incredously yelled "WHAT!?"

"It says here that you have not taken enough courses to fufill your physical education requirement. Why didn't take your physical education requierment? What's wrong with you boy? All that angry Black Panther talk, and u ain't finished your physical education requirement? What's WRONG WITCHU BOY? All work and no play keeps the doctor away boy, don't you know that?"

As the rant slipped further into incoherentness, Riley took hold of the the letter and broke out in laughter.

"All this time and u the nigga dats still gonna be here after u a grown ass man? HAAAAAAAAH! Wait till I tell Cindy. What's Jazmine gonna think about her man when she finds out he can't even graduate? Nigga, u dumb, so dumb that---- OWW!"

Huey grabbed the letter after smacking him across his left cheek. As he read, he went through his memory to find that he did indeed take his two required gym classes during his freshman year.

The next monday he went to Mrs. Donovich, his counsoleor. He brought the letter and his final grade report for his freshman year as proof. As he approached her room, he saw that the door was open and he peered in to witness Mrs. Donovich watching Days of Our Lives on her 7'' television. He was about to knock on her door when Ms. Leach, the guidance office secretary tapped him on the shoulder.

"Name?" she said in her trademark dry tone.

"Huey Freeman, I have an appointment for today at three thirty"

"Okay, Gooey Sweetjam, Sweetjam, Sweet... No honey, I do not have you scheduled for today"

"No, I'm Huey Freeman"

"Oh, Freeman. Mrs. Donovich, the angry black kid needs you!"

"OK Send him in!"

Huey walked into the room and immediately the smell of scented candles overpowered him. The room was littered with graduation pictures or action shots of former Rumsfield High Students. Sitting at the desk was Mrs. Donovich, but the television had been replaced with a laptop computer. Huey could also tell that in three minutes she also combed her hair a little bit and straightened out her outfit.

'At least she felt the need to _look_ professional' Huey thought to himself.

"Mrs. Donovich, I got this letter saying that I have not had enough gym credits and--"

"Ok, so you need a gym class, well we'll just get you one."

"No, I do not need a gym class, I have my freshman final report card saying that I have enough credits," Huey responded, trying to hand her the report. She seemed to not be paying attention and was focused on trying to find a way to get him into a physical education course. Huey noticed this and asserted that he already had enough credits. Mrs. Donovich did not take too kindly to this, and she told him, "Well, since you are the counselor and not me, then why don't _you_ solve it yourself. Now kindly leave my office."

Baffled, Huey left, muttering something about incompetence and sleeping with the principal, Mr. Jack Wuncler.

Speaking of Principal Wuncler (Ed's little brother), Huey did not have any success with him either. Matter of fact, he just kept dodging Huey by having "forgotten about a prior engagement and having to reschedule" three times. So, Huey decided to investigate. Suprisingly, the answer did not take long to find. All he had to do was...

"Huey, look at this here," Caesar said as he pointed to the "Top 25" list that posted the top 25 grade point averages of Rumsfield High.

"What Caesar?" Huey looked up to see what Caesar was pointing at and he realized that right below his name at the number 1 spot, was none other than Erica Wuncler, who had the exact same grade point average. Huey quickly put two and two together and realized that in his current situation he was doomed to fail, or at least give up his top position and being Valedictorian. Huey really didn't care about that, he was just focused on doing his work and getting out so he could possibly earn a full ride to Northwestern University in Evanston, just north of Chicago, to study Business Management, specializing in Entrepenuership, and minoring in journalism. He figured that he needed command of the press before he could have a chance at changing people's attitudes. Anyway, this display of biggoted nepotism _made_ him care about being Valedictorian now. The one motivation that he had, had just been sparked, and that was making asses out of people who stood in his way. However, he realized that he would get nowhere with the school's hierarchy, so he decieded to take a step to the power that oversaw them. Someone, who as a Black man of prestige should see Huey's point. Someone who was his neighbor and he had known since he was ten years old. Someone, who was his girfriend's father. Unfortunately, that someone was Thomas DuBois.

He knocked on the door across the street from his home. Jazmine answered, with a smile on her face. She was wearing a powder blue t-shirt with the sleeves stopping at the shoulders, and some navy blue shorts that stopped mid-thigh. She still had Her hair, but it had become less puffy and a little more curly and more of a bown color instead of tan. She had gotten a somewhat darker complexion, away from that milky skin that she had in her childhood that resembled her celebrity idol, Alicia Keys. Normally, Huey would take a good look at her whenever he saw her, but this time he was destracted by his mission, and after the pleasantries, he asked to see her father, who happened to be in the kitchen talking with Mrs. DuBois. Huey asked to see Mr. Dubois alone, and upon hearing the severity of his tone, Sarah departed with Jazmine to go listen to their copy of _Confessions_ in Jazmine's room.

"What seems to be the trouble, Huey," Tom DuBois inquired.

Huey went on to tell the story about the missing gym credit, showed him his old report card and even threw in his theory of how Erica Wuncler was being pushed to the forefront at his expense. Tom listened intently just like he did back during his days as a lawyer when her was hearing a case for the first time, taking note of every detail. Tom was getting the same idea in his head that Huey had gotten and he thought about taking matters into his hands on Huey's behalf. But Tom did not only dislike trouble; he feared it. And it was that fear that prompted him to say, "Well, Huey, I wish I could do something, but this one might be out of my hands."

"Out of YOUR HANDS," Huey was taken aback by that statement and then forced a smile and replied while trying to restrain himself, "Well, don't you think that you could at least _mention_ it to Principle Wuncler, considering your position?"

"Huey, the people of Woodcrest put me in this position because they feel that I am a stable force that keeps everything in perspective. Now, if this were to get out, how do you think that it would look to those people who have their confidence in me, that I can't run this district without some kind of problem?"

"Mr. DuBois, it seems to me that the people would only further respect you for righting a wrong. I know that you agree with me here, and I have the proof, so what's the problem"

"Well, I would love to adress this at the next meeting but--" 

"But you are too afraid to for whatever reason you have"

"Now Huey, calm down, this is not an issue to be angry about."

"NOT ANGRY!? I'm about to be held back for no good reason. Then what, am I going to do?"

"Well, you could just drop a class and take another Gym class"

"But the principle Mr. Dubois"

"What about it?"

"What about it? You know exactly what about it. You would rather see me be mistreated just so they don't have to admit that the Valedictorian of a High School with a Black poplulation of sixteen out of 2,200 was Black, just so you don't get into TROUBLE?!!"

At that point, Huey's passion had gotten the best of him. Normally, he was able to keep a cool head even while delivering an important message. This time was different. He was sweating from his afro all the way down to his shins. His intense eyes looked as though he could have bent every piece of silverware in the room. Seventeen years of a life that lent him no easy days finally began to take a toll on him and with the next utterance of Mr. Dubois he shot up and overturned the wooden table sending the magazines and salt shaker flying. Tom was shocked, but quickly composed himself and gave one last try to tame the lion that was about to devour him in the kitchen. His vocabulary failed him as he let out the most absolutely wrong word he could have thought of when he said, "No need to be upitty." Huey lost all composure at that word and found his fist connect with the soft flesh of the area between Tom DuBois' nose and left eye. Jazmine and Sarah ran into the kitchen to find the man of the house on the floor with blood on the tile and his suit. Tom, more out of fear than anger, demanded that Huey get out of his house and never return. Sarah shook her head as if she were apologizing to Huey but condemming him at the same time. Huey, realizing what he had done, looked at Jazmine, but her eyes eluded his. For the first time ever, Jazmine found Huey unattractive.

The next week, Huey spent with Granndad under suspension, facing expulsion and a possible attempted murder charge. Huey wasn't exactly popular with the townspeople, so they only turned their heads and stepped out of the way as the book was thrown at him. Caesar tried to consoule him, but Huey wouldn't hear it. Riley just gave more taunts about how Huey ruined his life. Had Riley known the emotional Hell that Huey just been sentenced to, he never would have said anything. The worst thing, was the girl who had been the only lightbulb in his dark room had went out. Blood is thicker than love. The truth of the matter was, she wanted to reach out to him, but she figured that he would rather be alone. She did not know what to do. She knew that she had forgiven him once she heard the whole story from Riley. She still cared for him and her infatuation with him even grew as she saw his outburst as romantic. Huey had been her only true friend until high school (when she got 'cute'). It was more than a crush, because she never thought of "if" when she thought about her possible future with him. The word was always "when". Jazmine was remarkably intituitive, and in a way spirtual. She felt as if God had ordained their pairing. Even with all this, she knew that there was nothing that she could do. She did try calling him, but her complicated, passionate yet emotionless boyfriend, was dead.


End file.
